Method of playing a bonus

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a game bonus triggered by the rank of the player hand. A plurality of bonus hands is provided and a value is assigned to each one. The player chooses one of the bonus hands, after which the value is revealed and the player is paid the corresponding amount. The values assigned guarantee the player a payout regardless of the choice. Optionally, the player may be permitted to choose more than one bonus hand. The number of bonus hands permitted may be based on the rank of the player hand. The value of the bonus hand may be represented by a poker hand.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to gaming, more particularly, to a bonusfor casino and lottery games.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many games, such as casino card games, have side or bonus bets. In thetypical side bet, a player wagers that the ranking of a predeterminedset of cards that are dealt during the game will be found in a paytable. The side bet is independent of the game, so a player can win onebut not the other. Side bets and bonuses are popular because they addexcitement to a game and increase its potential without adding muchextra time to play the game.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a bonus triggered bythe outcome of a game.

Another object is to provide a bonus that is itself fun to play and thatadds interest to the game.

The present invention is a bonus adjunct to a game that is triggeredwhen the player hand has a certain minimum rank. The player is presentedwith two or more bonus hands from which to choose. Each bonus hand has avalue associated with it that guarantees the player a bonus payoutregardless of the choice. The value may be an absolute amount or it maybe a multiplier. An absolute amount is the payout amount. A multiplierdetermines the payout as a multiple of the amount the player won for theplayer hand that triggered the bonus.

Markers initially represent the bonus hands so the payout values arehidden. The player chooses a bonus hand from the markers presented.After a bonus hand is chosen, its value is revealed. The payout amountmay be directly revealed or a representation of the payout amount may berevealed, for example, a poker hand, where the poker hand rank isdirectly related to the value.

Values are assigned to the bonus hands from a pool of possible values,called selections. Each selection has only one value, but more than oneselection may have the same value. In one method, there are the samenumber of selections as there are bonus hands, and the selections arerandomly assigned. In another method, there are more selections in thepool than there are bonus hands, and each of the bonus hands is randomlyassigned one of the selections from the pool

Another embodiment, the bonus hands are displayed as matrix of playingcards. Hands are made from each row, column, and diagonal of cardlocations. The player chooses a hand by selecting a button representingthe desired hand, after which the chosen hand is revealed.

The bonus of the present invention may be played in a number ofdifferent environments, including, but not limited to, video poker,video keno, lottery-style keno, and slot machines.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light ofthe following drawings and detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and object of the presentinvention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows one example of an initial bonus display screen of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 shows an example display after the chosen bonus hand is revealed;

FIG. 3 shows another example display after the chosen bonus hand isrevealed;

FIG. 4 is an example table of bonus poker hands with correspondingvalues; and

FIG. 5 is an example display of another embodiment of the bonus of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a bonus adjunct to a card game where a playerwins more if certain events occur. An example of a game with which thebonus of the present invention can be used is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,664,781. In the game of the '781 patent, a player chooses one or moreof a plurality of player hands, and the player wins if one of the chosenplayer hands is the highest ranked of the player hands.

Typically, a player participating in a game automatically participatesin a bonus, that is, a player does not have to pay an additional amountto participate in the bonus. This is the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. However, the present invention contemplates that thebonus may be run as a side bet for which the player must wager anadditional amount to participate.

The bonus of the present invention is triggered when a player hand has acertain minimum rank. What constitutes a player hand and its rankdepends on what the game is. The bonus of the present invention worksmost easily in a video poker environment, but can work with any type ofgame on any type of media where there is a set of cards or other tokensthat makes up a hand that can have a predetermined combination or rank.In card games, like video poker, the player hand is the combination ofcards, the rank is the particular combination of cards, and the bonus istriggered if the rank. In keno, the numbers picked by the player is thehand and the number of correct numbers is the rank. If the player picksa predetermined minimum number of correct numbers, the bonus istriggered. In video keno, the bonus is triggered in the same manner asvideo poker, immediately on the video display. In lottery-style keno,where the player selects numbers via a paper ticket, the player insertsthe ticket with a predetermined combination into a kiosk or similarsystem, which displays the bonus. On a slot machine, the combination ofsymbols that the wheel stops on is the hand, and the particularcombination of symbols is the rank. If the particular combination is apredetermined combination, the bonus is triggered.

As indicated above, the bonus is triggered when the player hand has apredetermined minimum rank. For example, if the player hand has a fullhouse or better, the bonus is triggered. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the rank of the winning player hand triggers thebonus. In another embodiment, any player hand that is of a certainminimum rank triggers the bonus, whether or not the hand is the winningplayer hand. In yet another embodiment, the bonus is triggered randomly,that is, the rank of a player hand does not determine if the bonus willbe triggered; the occurrence of a random event triggers the bonus.

Typically, the bonus of the present invention is triggered after thehands are revealed and the payouts for the game are distributedappropriately. Alternatively, the bonus is triggered after all of thehands are revealed and the winning hand is determined, but beforepayouts are made.

In the bonus of the present invention, the player is presented with abonus display 10 showing two or more bonus hands 12 a-12 i(collectively, 12), each represented by a marker 14 a-14 i(collectively, 14), as shown in the example. of FIG. 1. The presentinvention does not provide an upper limit to the number of bonus hands12, although there may be practical considerations. The number of bonushands 12 may be fixed from game to game, or the number of bonus hands 12may vary depending on one or more of different factors. An example ofone such factor is the rank of the player hand that triggered the bonus.The number of bonus hands 12 may be chosen at random from game to game.

Every bonus hand 12 has a non-zero value associated with it. A non-zerovalue means that the player is guaranteed a bonus payout regardless ofthe choice.

However, bonus hands 12 may have different values, and it is up to theplayer to choose the bonus hand 12 that she believes has the highestvalue in order to maximize her winnings. The value may be an absoluteamount or it may be a multiplier. With an absolute amount, the payoutamount that the player receives is the value shown or represented, forexample, $5. With a multiplier, the payout amount that the playerreceives is the value times the amount the player received for theplayer hand that triggered the bonus. For example, if the value is 5×,the player receives a payout amount that is 5 times the amount won bythe player for the player hand. Unless otherwise indicated, referencesin the present specification to bonus hand values include both absoluteamounts and multipliers.

Markers 14 initially represent the bonus hands 12 so that the values arehidden. In the example of FIG. 1, there are nine markers 14 a-141, eachrepresented by a unique number 16 in a box 18. Any form of marker 14that allows the player to uniquely identify a bonus hand 12 can be used.The markers 14 can take many different forms. For example, the markers14 can be unique people, animals, plants, or other objects, they can begeometric figures, etc. Video permits animated labels.

The player chooses a bonus hand 12 from the markers 14 presented.Optionally, the player can choose more than one bonus hand 12.Optionally, the number of bonus hands 12 that the player is permitted tochoose depends upon the rank of the player hand. For example, if theplayer hand has a straight, the player can choose only one bonus hand12, but if the player hand has four of a kind, the player can choosethree bonus hands 12. The present invention contemplates that any mannerof choosing the bonus hand or hands 12 can be employed, including, forexample, a touch screen, a keypad, a keyboard, etc.

After a bonus hand 12 is chosen, its value is revealed. In oneembodiment, the value is directly revealed as a payout amount. Anexample of such an embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, where the player chosebonus hand 4 12 d, which was revealed as having a $5 payout amount. Whenmore than one bonus hand 12 is chosen, the total bonus payout may be thepayout amount of the highest-ranked bonus hand 12 or some combination ofthe payout amounts of all the chosen bonus hands 12.

In another embodiment, a poker hand representing the value is revealed.An example is shown in FIG. 3, where the player chose bonus hand 6 12 f,revealing a full house consisting of 8 of spades, 8 of clubs, 8 ofdiamonds, jack of spades, and jack of hearts. Typically, there are fiveor seven cards in the poker hand. The present invention, however,contemplates that there may be as few as two cards in each poker hand.Typically, the rank of the poker hand is directly related to the value,that is, the higher the rank, the greater the value. An example of sucha relationship is shown in the table of FIG. 4. For the example of FIG.3, the player receives $5, the payout amount represented by a fullhouse. Typically, the poker hand for each bonus hand is unique, althoughthere may be multiple poker hands with the same rank, and hence the samevalue. In other words, for example, there may be a number of poker handswith a straight, but each poker hand has a different straight.

The payout amount may be revealed with the poker hand so the player doesnot have to consult a table to know what the payout amount is for therevealed hand.

The present invention contemplates that the payout amount may beanything of value, such as cash, credit, vouchers, tokens, etc. Thepayout may be a prize other than money and monetary equivalents.

The present invention contemplates several different methods forassigning values to the bonus hands. In general, values are assignedfrom a pool of possible values, called selections. Each selection hasonly one value, but more than one selection may have the same value.

In an example, a pool of 25 selections has 14 $2 values, seven $5values, three $10 values, and one $25 value.

When the selections are poker hands that represent values, thecombination of cards that make up each poker hand selection may be thesame from game to game or they may be generated for each game. Forexample, if two selections are straight flushes, the same two straightflushes may be used every time the bonus is triggered, or differentstraight flushes may be generated each time the bonus is triggered.

In one method of assigning values, there are the same number ofselections as there are bonus hands. The selections are randomlyassigned to the bonus hands, where a selection is assigned only once, sothat all the selections are assigned. Sometime before the chosen bonushand or hands are revealed, the nine selections are randomly assigned tothe nine bonus hands. With this method, the same number of each valuewill be available every time the bonus of the present invention isplayed. In one example, there are nine bonus hands and nine possibleselections: five $2 payouts, three $5 payouts, and one $10 payout. Everyone of the nine selections are available every time the bonus istriggered.

In another method, there are more selections in the pool than there arebonus hands. Sometime before the chosen bonus hand or hands arerevealed, each of the bonus hands is randomly assigned one of theselections from the pool, where each selection is assigned only once. Inone example, there are nine bonus hands and 30 possible selections: 15$2 values, eight $5 values, four $10 values, two $25 values, and one $50value. Because there are nine bonus hands, there will always be nineselections assigned, but precisely which nine selections of the 30 thatare assigned each time the bonus is triggered is random.

Another embodiment of the bonus of the present invention is shown inFIG. 5. Rather than displaying a plurality of bonus hands, thisembodiment displays a matrix 20 of locations 22, where each location 22represents a playing card. In the example of FIG. 5, the matrix 20 isfive cards by five cards. It is possible to make 12 rows of five cardsfrom this matrix (five across, five down, and two diagonally. The playerchooses a hand by selecting the button 24 representing the desired hand,as shown lines 26. After the button 24 is selected, the cards of thechosen hand are revealed. As with the embodiment above, the playerreceives a payout regardless of the hand that is chosen, but the handsmay have different payouts amounts.

Thus it has been shown and described a game bonus which satisfies theobjects set forth above.

Since certain changes may be made in the present disclosure withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention, it is intended thatall matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in theaccompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

1. A method of playing a bonus to a game wherein a player has a playerhand with a rank, said method comprising the steps of: (a) determiningif said player hand rank has a predetermined rank; (b) presenting aplurality of bonus hands if said player hand has said predeterminedrank, the number of said plurality of bonus hands being determined bysaid player hand rank; (c) assigning a non-zero value to each of saidbonus hands, said value being hidden from said player; (d) said playerchoosing at least one of said bonus hands as chosen bonus hands whilesaid values are hidden; (e) revealing said value for each of said chosenbonus hands; and (f) paying said player a bonus payout corresponding tothe value of at least one of said chosen bonus hands.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein said values are assigned randomly to said bonus handsfrom a pool of selections.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said valueis represented by a poker hand.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein saidbonus payout is said value of the highest ranked of said chosen bonushands.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said bonus payout is a winningamount for said player hand multiplied by said value.
 6. A method ofplaying a bonus to a game wherein a player has a player hand with arank, said method comprising the steps of: (a) determining if saidplayer hand rank has a predetermined rank; (b) presenting a plurality ofbonus hands if said player hand has said predetermined rank; (c)assigning a non-zero value to each of said bonus hands, said value beinghidden from said player; (d) said player choosing a number of said bonushands as chosen bonus hands while said values are hidden, said numberbeing determined by said player hand rank; (e) revealing said value foreach of said chosen bonus hands; and (f) paying said player a bonuspayout corresponding to the value of at least one of said chosen bonushands.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein said values are assignedrandomly to said bonus hands from a pool of selections.
 8. The method ofclaim 6 wherein said value is represented by a poker hand.
 9. The methodof claim 6 wherein said bonus payout is said value of the highest rankedof said chosen bonus hands.
 10. The method of claim 6 wherein said bonuspayout is a winning amount for said player hand multiplied by saidvalue.
 11. A method of playing a bonus to a game wherein a player has aplayer hand with a rank, said method comprising the steps of: (a)determining if said player hand rank has a predetermined rank; (b)presenting a plurality of bonus hands if said player hand has saidpredetermined rank; (c) assigning a non-zero value to each of said bonushands, said value being represented by a poker hand, and said valuebeing hidden from said player; (d) said player choosing at least one ofsaid bonus hands as chosen bonus hands while said values are hidden; (e)revealing said value for each of said chosen bonus hands; and (f) payingsaid player a bonus payout corresponding to the value of at least one ofsaid chosen bonus hands.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said pokerhand has a rank that is related to said value.
 13. The method of claim11 wherein said values are assigned randomly to said bonus hands from apool of selections.
 14. The method of claim 11 wherein said bonus payoutis said value of the highest ranked of said chosen bonus hands.
 15. Themethod of claim 11 wherein said bonus payout is a winning amount forsaid player hand multiplied by said value.